Gifts of Love
Gifts of Love
Rating: PG-13 (There's a scene at the end that could need a higher rating, but what the hey, today's children are desensitized enough)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything involved Harry Potter, or JKR. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone
A/N: This is sappy stuff, I warn you. I just felt in that kinda mood....
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"I love you, you know that?"
"Really? I think I love you more."
"Noooo, I love you more."
"You think so, do you? Well I love you times a hundred."
"Well, I love you times a million."
"And I love you times infinite."
"And I love you times....times....oh bugger, what's more than infinite?"
Hermione chuckled at Harry's inability to come up with a response, as he smiled with a blush at his own lack of answer. Everytime the both of them had played this game, a game they had invented while on honeymoon across Continental Europe just days ago, one of them would end off being unable to answer just how much the one loved the other. In fact, that was quite close to what Hermione actually felt, that there was just no word or way to describe the depth of feeling she felt for her newly-crowned husband. As she held on to Harry tightly as they wound their way through the English night lazily on Harry's Firebolt, Hermione took a glance at her diamond ring and began slipping into deep thought about what had just transpired over two years of her life.
The very idea of Hermione on a broomstick at all would have been preposterous at the beginning of the past two years, let alone the idea of her on a broomstick with the man she had grown to love over the course of her teen years. With the build-up to the "Second Wizard War" (as it was now being referred to by magical historians) during her sixth and seventh years, there had been no time for flying or romance, just hours upon hours of training, studying, and more training, mostly undertaken by Harry himself. He had been forcefully dragged from his post-Sirius sorrow by Hermione and Ron, only to attempt to run away and keep his friends and family away from his "dangerous" self. Needless to say, that was met with by stern opposition, and so the "Golden Trio" of Hogwarts began learning and training in preparation for the eventual fight with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, supporting and helping Harry as he came to grips with his fate and ultimate task.
It brought a tear to Hermione's eye still just thinking about it, the tension and fear of those days. Her fear was almost entirely concerned with Harry's well-being, and it became hard not to just hug him everyday for dear life and never let go as the two began growing closer and closer during those final two years of Hogwarts. Of course, Hermione had been secretly in love with Harry since, well, the day she met him, though of course her stubborn self wouldn't admit it until the beginning of sixth year. The connection the two had was almost eerie, knowing completely what the other was thinking before they thought about it themselves. She wanted to keep him safe so desperately, but right before graduation, during a lapse in security, Voldemort struck....
Hermione clutched Harry tighter upon bringing up that memory, prompting Harry to look back with concern. Slightly embarrassed, she loosened up (but not too much) and let Harry know with a smile she saved for only him that she was fine. She went back to her thoughts.
The story of the titanic struggle between Harry, Dumbledore, the DA and the reinforcement Aurors versus Voldemort and his Death Eaters at Hogwarts is enough to fill an enormous volume, but all Hermione remembered was all the chaos of spells being thrown everywhere, the screams of the wounded, and the final duel. She remembered both armies backing off as Harry and Voldemort squared off, and the feeling of the immense levels of magic radiating off both fighters. She recalled a wounded Harry surprising Voldemort with a leap and gutting him with Godric's sword, and she remembered all too well the ear-splitting death shriek of the Dark Lord and Harry's subsequent collapse to the ground after that. After that, she blacked out, and was told later that she had screamed almost as loud as that of Voldemort himself at that point before passing out from it all.
Hermione did not eat, sleep, or do much of anything for the following week, waking up and spending her entire days holding Harry's hand, crying, and willing him to live, for she honestly didn't know what she would do without him. It would be in that legendary Hospital Wing of Hogwarts that the two young adults would admit their undying love to each other, and Hermione couldn't honestly remember a happier moment in her life than when Harry opened his gorgeous green eyes for the first time since the battle and shocked Hermione with a simple "I love you". Her dreams and fantasies had come true with that one statement, and she would spend the next week in the Hospital (usually in Harry's bed) helping Harry recover and telling him constantly (for it was never enough in her opinion) that she loved him so much in return.
They wed but a couple of months after the battle (to the surprise of the entire Wizarding nation of England except for few notables, i.e. Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and the entire Weasely clan), in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Hogwarts that left not a dry eye in the house, Harry's and Hermione's included. Their vows were so personal and heartfelt, that those attending, along with the bride and groom, knew this was the kind of true love that comes only once every so often, and was beautiful to behold. The couple took off for an all-expenses paid honeymoon across Europe soon after, a trip Harry had received as part of his enormous reward package for defeating the Dark Lord. Honeymoon.....the very word sent Hermione's heart and her feminine areas a fluster, as not only did Harry finally teach get her up on a broom, but the vow she took to hold off on love-making until marriage paid huge dividends, as the residents of the rooms beside the new Potters could testify to. They had explored the last frontier between the two that was unknown, their bodies, and had come back knowing they were with their soulmate, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
And now, the young couple were flying on Harry's Firebolt off to Little Whinging, to gather Harry's belongings and move to a new flat near Diagon Alley that had again, been given as a gift to Harry from ever-so-grateful residents of the famous wizarding street. Just as Hermione began recalling some of the more....intimate...memories of her and Harry's honeymoon, her husband spoke up.
"You okay there Hermione? You've been oftly silent over the past few miles. Is my flying scaring you?" Harry said, worried that he was in anyway displeasing the women he loved so much.
"Not at all love, I was just lost in my thoughts of everything that has happened, with the end of school, the battle, the wedding, the honeymoon....
"So you were thinking about me then?" Harry quipped, with a roguish grin.
Hermione leaned against Harry hard, breathing and kissing lightly upon his neck while whispering "You know that's all I ever think about....", sliding her hand close to where Harry was currently beginning to strain his pants.
"Yes, well, erm, that's great love, I'm, um, glad." Harry nervously stuttered, as Hermione grinned and leaned back to her normal spot on the broom. Just as she was thinking of any other intimate ways she could show how much she loved Harry, she chanced to look down upon the ground and noticed a peculiar sight awaiting her, one she did not recognize at all.
"Harry, love, where exactly are we flying to? Are we not heading to Little Whinging?"
"I'm just taking a different route, that's all." Harry said, but without any kind of conviction or emotion. Though slightly worried, Hermione trusted Harry with her life, and just laid her head on his back and dozed off as the couple flew above the English countryside, unnoticed in the dark.
"Love, time to get up. Come on, sleeping beauty..." Hermione, just opening her eyes after her nap, barely made out the words before she felt a soft kiss from the lips she knew she would never forget.
"You can wake me up like that anytime." Hermione said with a sleepy smile, eyes still half closed.
Holding Hermione in his arms like a child, Harry gave her a loving smile and replied "And I plan to, each and every day for the rest of our lives."
Blushing and grinning furiously at the thought, Hermione let herself be lowered onto the ground, before hugging Harry with all her might and snuggling against his chest, with muffled "I love you's" making their way out from the his sweater.
"Okay, okay love, you know I love you too, come on, I want to show you something." Harry quietly told her, and Hermione's head sprung up at the idea of being shown something new, eyebrows raising curiously.
"Gods, your cute when you do that." Harry chuckled while still holding her.
"Just what are you showing me, exactly?" Hermione queried, quite curious now.
"You'll see." was all Harry said, before he took her by the hand and led her down a dirt road, as she gained sense of her surroundings.
The couple were in a forest, at night still (so she couldn't have slept long), with tall and old trees throughout. It wasn't threatening, like the Forbidden Forest, just...old. And anciently beautiful, even in the night, Hermione could tell this. Threading its way through this forest was a dirt road, about ten feet wide, twisting and curving into the darkness. The only reason Hermione didn't trip on to her face was the fact that there was a full moon out and Harry was guiding her along quite well, though when she asked of their destination, all she got out of him was a "Come on" or "Don't worry about it", which got her wondering if they were ever going to get to Little Whinging.
Suddenly, after about fifteen minutes, and just before a bend in the road that took it left around a clump of trees, Harry stopped and turned to face Hermione, showing signs of nervousness and deep thought. He took both of his wife's hands in his, and stood but inches from her.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked, concern evident in her face as she worried about whether Harry was returning back to his "Pre-Final Battle" self, unconfident and unsure.
"Nothing, nothing," Harry dismissed the question with a slight shake of his head, though it was obvious he was thinking of something.
"Then what?" Hermione questioned, worried brown eyes twinkling in the moonlight.
Harry had a tough time breaking away from her gaze, beautiful as it was. When he did, he veritably had to yank his head away "It's just, well, you know I love you more than anything else in the world, right?"
Though she knew, the fact that he said it like he did concerned Hermione quite a bit. "Of course, and I feel the same way" she replied, caressing his hands.
"Well," Harry started, than stopped, thought, and began again "I love you so much, and I just want what is best for you. You deserve so much in life, probably someone better than me..."
"Stop it, you know that's not true."
"Let me finish. You deserve the best, and just know, that everything I do for you is with that in mind, I want you to be happy, more than anything in the world." Harry stopped, and then seemed to shrug his shoulders in resignation.
"Your scaring me Harry, don't do this." Hermione whispered, worried more than ever.
Harry saw this and jumped to resolve it. "No, no, don't be scared Hermione. It's just....here, follow me." And with that change in topic, Harry took a surprised and concerned Hermione around the bend in the road, with his wife already ticking off her in her head the various things that could be worrying Harry, all of them bad.
What she saw around the bend was something she never would have expected, and took all her breath away.
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It was a mansion, a veritable castle in a large circular plot carved out of the forest, all in white with the center like Buckingham's, and the two end towers of Hollyrood. Torches were lit everywhere around the building, so Hermione could make out details form afar, and where there was colour, and Hermione could make out some on the front doors and tops of the towers, it was red and gold, like that of Gryffindor House. There was a wider dirt driveway leading to the spot where Harry and Hermione now stood, about 200 feet long, with a gigantic white fountain in the exact middle featuring various shapes spewing water in all directions and a cast-iron gate about ten feet from where the couple stood, wrought in magnificent shapes and with the letter "P" stylized over the top. Hermione had never seen anything so grand in her life.
"What, how, why, Harry?" Hermione's voice raised at the last part, almost pleading with Harry to answer the thousands of questions running through her head.
With a smirk, Harry replied "Surprised, huh? First off, its a house (that's the understatement of the century, thought Hermione), second, I built it, and three, you deserve the best. It's quite simple, really."
"But, Harry...." Hermione started, her wide-eyed gaze being drawn back to the beauty of the mansion.
"I'll explain everything later, but first, I want you to see it, come on." With seemingly renewed energy, Harry took Hermione's hand, pulled out his wand, muttered a spell seemed to open up the iron gate, and led his bewildered wife down the moon-lit driveway towards the house.
Hermione was sure that if Harry hadn't been holding her hand, she would have fainted, only to have awoken and assumed it was all a dream. Maybe it was? Maybe all this, the past two years, all that had happened, all the happiness she had experienced, was just simply too good to be true and she would wake up tomorrow in sixth year with the threat of Voldemort looming over her head. But if this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up....
Harry led his wife past the ornate marble fountain dominating the driveway, which, she noticed with slight curiousity, was an exact replica of the golden one that had stood in the Ministry of Magic on the fateful day that Sirius had died. Whether this was a homage to Harry's godfather or not, Hermione was still amazed that her husband had gotten it re-done to the exact detail.
Hermione was now beginning to get neck strain from turning her head so much. She could make out now as they approached the front doors that the palace (as she was now referring to it in her head) was surrounded by meticulously well-kept gardens, and she could make out all her favourite flowers even in the moonlight; white roses, tulips, forget-me-nots, all arranged in a way that couldn't be any prettier. And the front doors themselves....Hermione gasped out loud at the massive mahogany portals that greeted her, two humans tall, engraved in detail with the four animals of Hogwarts: the lion, the badger, the raven, and the snake.
"I'll be honest, I didn't do this myself," Harry piped in after minutes of silent gazing. "Dumbledore brought these out of Hogwarts storage and gave them to me as a present as we were building the house, said they were "to make up for the seventeen birthdays I hadn't gotten presents from him". I thought you may like them." Harry said the last line softly, as he hooked his arms around Hermione from the back and kissed her temple.
"Harry, they're amazing." Hermione whispered back, still wide-eyed and staring (she expected that state to be permanent around this house).
Harry smiled as he nuzzled into her bushy hair, a true smile that did not often play on his face, and normally only did around Hermione. "Let me show you the rest."
For the next two hours or so (both wife and husband had lost track of time by this point), Harry guided his wife throughout every room, wing, and floor of the magnificent house. Hermione was beginning to shed tears of joy and awe at the detail and care that went into each little room, how each room was probably worth more than the flat the couple had originally shared, and the sheer scope of the place.
The two-story center wing contained more rooms than Hermione had ever seen in one house. Rooms to greet guests, with a smashing marble and gold grand staircase dominating the front foyer behind the front doors; four family-size guest bedrooms that were unique in the fact each one was coloured and decorated in the theme of one of the Hogwarts houses, Slytherin included; a kitchen that was big enough to feed an army; and two dining rooms, one that contained a table big enough to rival those in the Great Hall for guests, and a simple yet elegant one for the day-to-day meals of the Potters. There was even a ballroom, as large as the Great Hall, with golden chandeliers, marble statues, gorgeous full-size paintings of the Four Founders and an authentic Steinway piano, for Hermione's enjoyment (she had learned to play as a child).
If that wasn't enough to make Hermione believe she had died and gone to heaven, the West Wing of the home convinced her. The entire wing was one room, a library that put Hogwarts' to shame. Four wings of golden and silver railings, gorgeous rosewood bookcases filled to the brim of books of any subject she could imagine, and a reading floor at the bottom with a special desk for Hermione's research, couches for ultimate comfort, and a roaring fireplace and complimentary three-seated plush couch in case Hermione had company in the library (Hermione noticed Harry wink as he said that last part). Harry let his wife wander for a bit on her own throughout the library, as she explored the many sections and gently pulled out any books she caught a fancy to, a silent tear sliding down her face at her partner's thoughtfulness.
Lastly, when Hermione thought she couldn't possibly take any more of this amazement, they entered the East Wing. This, as Harry explained to her, was designated the "Family Wing", complete with nurseries, children's rooms (Hermione viewed these with slight blushes), living rooms complete with tellies, fireplaces, and picture collections, and a master bedroom that simply was a flat unto itself. Painted in that dark red that made up the Gryffindor Common Room so homey, it contained an old four poster bed that Hermione was sure Harry got from Hogwarts, an even bigger fireplace than the library had in front of the bed, a desk for Hermione' writing, and an ensuite bathroom that was just as Hermione remembered the Prefect's bathroom to be: large baths and a shower big enough for two or three people (Hermione again blushed at the thought of that).
Tears still there, Hermione turned around and stunned her husband with one of the biggest hugs he ever had or will ever receive, before proceeding to cover his face with kiss upon kiss, muttering "I love you" over and over. Harry, finally getting over the shock of the crushing hug, began passionately returning his wife's actions. After a few breathless minutes, they pulled apart, and with still wet eyes, Hermione told with a smile "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister."
Harry smiled back. "I guess I do." Still holding her close, Harry continued "First, you're probably wondering what I have to do with this." Hermione could only nod her head in agreement. "Well, it was the summer between sixth and seventh year, you know, the one I was gone for?"
Hermione remembered it well; she could barely sleep all summer worrying over Harry, as Dumbledore had pulled Harry out of the Dursely's for an intense, personal training regime. She had often wondered what went on that summer, as Harry had always avoided the topic....
"Well," Harry began, noticing the wheels in his wife's head working overtime to come up with an answer, "we didn't spend the entire time training. We had a side project, rebuilding Godric's Hollow that is. Dumbledore thought it would release me of some inner daemons, or something like that. Point is, I was building this at a time in my life when I really didn't believe I would survive past the year, and began creating this as a gift to someone I deemed deserved it. By this point, I was already hopelessly in love with you, but had figured you could and would do better than me, so I built it in hopes of giving it to you for a graduation present, you know, for your family and whomever you chose as a lover, to enjoy your life to the fullest." Harry said this with all honesty and seriousness.
"Harry....you didn't have to do that." Hermione started, beginning to cry again and burying her head in his chest. She hated when he got this noble, sacrificing so much for others and none for himself. Why couldn't have just gotten it through his thick head that he had always had her heart, even if he had given her a box for graduation?
Harry smirked a bit at his wife's reaction. "I know, but I wanted to, again, at this point in my life, I didn't expect to live much longer, and I wanted you to have the very best, even after I passed on." Harry felt Hermione mutter something and squeeze him even harder, and to get a little more comfortable, he led the both of them to the bed, sitting down and letting Hermione sit on his lap, arms still around him and head still on his chest. "I told Dumbledore of my plans, and I guess it shouldn't surprise me that he wasn't surprised by it at all, I have a feeling he knew how I felt about you. We brought an entire army of Hogwarts house elves," Hermione's head shot up "totally paid of course," Harry chuckled, as Hermione sank her head back down "and went about creating this house that just sort of came out of my head. Not a lot of planning, not a lot of blue prints, just me trying to figure out what you would like in a house. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how we ever got the place looking like it did, I guess Dumbledore and the house elves took my ideas and did all the real work behind my back." Harry again chuckled at the idea.
"Harry, it's the most amazing thing I have ever seen, Hogwarts including." Hermione said, head now out of her husband's sweater and gazing lovingly into his eyes.
Harry kissed her forehead, then her lips. "I am glad you like it. That's all I ever wanted, making this thing, to make you happy. And if...." Harry stopped, seemingly unsure of what he was about to say.
"And if....what, Harry? Tell me, we promised no secrets with each other, remember?" Hermione asked, again worried that this was all too good to be true.
Harry face turned resigned, like so many times before in his life "And if...and if you find for any reason that I can't be here, whether by your choice, or a Death Eater's vengeful blow, or anything else that may come along, the house is in your name. It's all yours, every square inch of it, to do what you will with it. I own nothing of it, and it's my only hope you'll be happy in it. I love you so damn much, I don't want my problems to come in your way of happiness."
Hermione just sat there, staring at her husband in shock, listening to his words. Hadn't he gotten over this silly "I'm worthless" notion yet? Suddenly getting a little angry, Hermione teared-up eyes bored into her husband's as she took her hands and grasped him firmly by the shoulders.
"Listen here, and look at me Harry." Hermione demanded, as Harry sheepishly raised his head. "You have just given me what amounts to the most amazing gift any girl, women, and lover has received in the history of mankind, and you don't think you deserve to be a part of it?!" Harry turned to say something, but his fiery wife cut him off. "You think you love me so damn much? I love you more than anything else in the world, and I am going to spend the rest of my life making sure you get the love you deserve while making sure you believe you deserve it. We could have lived in a tree stump together and I would have been beyond happy, with all my dreams coming true. All this....this is just an extra slice of heaven." Grasping her husband face with her hands, she continued. "Make sure this gets through your head here Mr. Potter. I will never leave your side for a second, don't even hesitate to think otherwise, and you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together, growing old with our friends, filling the house with children, watching them grow up and leave for Hogwarts, and filling out our days thinking of each other and making one another happy. At least that's what I plan to do." Hermione said that last statement as almost a challenge to her husband, daring him to defy her.
Harry was stunned by his wife's outburst of love, and tears began going down his face now. "I couldn't leave you if I tried," Harry whispered, trying to convey all the feelings he had for his wife in that statement. "I love you too much."
With that, he leaned over her and gave his wife the softest of kisses on the lips, tasting some teardrops that had slipped down her beautiful face. His wife responded in kind, and back and forth the young lovers went, their kisses growing in passion as they poured all the emotion from the night into their actions. Neither was sure exactly who began taking off their clothes first or who made the first move to strip the other, but by that point, they didn't care. They continued the ancient lover's ritual all through the night, sometimes soft and slow, sometimes fast and desperate, as they tried to fuse their souls into one. Eventually, after the fourth time, the spent lovers fell asleep in a bundle of limbs, feeling totally content and happy.
With sunlight pouring into the bedroom, Hermione finally woke up late the next morning, only to find herself facing the masculine body and face of her lover, gazing intently at her.
"Hey." he softly greeted, taking his had and brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Hermione sleepily smiled. "Hey yourself." She replied, letting her hands roam his back (they had encircled his body all night).
"I love you, you know that?" Harry asked, smiling a little.
"Not more than I love you." Hermione answered, grinning while snuggling even closer into her husband.
Harry stopped the game. "Last night was amazing, and I'm not even talking about what happened, what was it, four times during the wee hours?" He couldn't help but show a little bit of masculine pride at the fact.
Hermione blushed. "It was. And I promise you, as your wife, we will have more nights like that throughout both our lives, in this amazing house you've built, including the....four times in a row." She replied with a grin.
"I can't wait." Harry said, with purity and honesty, holding his wife close as the two young lovers snuggled and fell back asleep together, joined as one in spirit and name.
~~~THE END~~~
A/N: Well?! How was it? I really can't rate my own work, so I do need your reviews, if even to give me motivation to write more fanfics, hopefully improving on where this one lacked? Take in mind that this isn't beta-ed, and done by someone who has never wrote an online piece of fiction, on any topic. I am just a guy whose read a lot, and have had hundreds of ideas running through the head for quite some time. I was just too lazy to act upon them :P. Any opinion is wanted!!